For over 3 years I’ve worked alongside all these fixie fiends and somehow I managed to steer clear of being on two wheels myself. It’s not that the bike babble escaped me completely. I get that fixed gears have no brakes and track stands mean you don’t put your feet down at stop lights.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not addicted to a car or anything, in fact I don’t even have a drivers license. Instead my aversion seems to be for all things wheels. Hell, even my preferred public transit runs on cables (Cable Car) or rails (BART).
This year my Bike To Work Team Challenge Captain Ryan managed to wear down all my defenses and has somehow peer pressured me onto a bike. I thought I had some good excuses:
I haven’t been on a bike since I was 16.
I live on an uber hill in North Beach.
I don’t have a bike.
I just had a baby who likes having a mother.
Ryan had an answer for everything, so I gave in, and this morning, I DID IT!
I can’t say I’m converted yet, but I’m not as scared to head home as I was before and maybe I’ll get some sleep tonight knowing that I made it once. Maybe I’ll even loosen my grip some. Maybe.
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